Egos
by CandC1988
Summary: Ashley A. has an ego, King Bob has an ego, Vince LaSalle has an ego. And they all have to protect theirs.
1. I Rule the School

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of its characters.

Author's Note: This is a new project that I'm starting that I am so excited about. It doesn't really concentrate on the Recess gang as much as Ashley A., King Bob, and Vince. Everybody else will be in the story, especially the other Ashley's and Lawson.

Chapter One

I Rule The School

I walk down the halls like one of those scenes from a teen movie, such as Mean Girls, when the Plastics walk down the hallway after giving Cady a delicious make-over. That's how we walk down the hallway. We, of course, being the Ashley's. People look at us, people stare at us. Girls whisper about how they wish they could look as good as us in our outfits. Boys whisper about how they wish they could get us out of those same outfits.

I know that in those movies the popular girls always end up learning a lesson, or whatever. But, who needs to learn a lesson when you're a sophomore who is captain of the cheerleading squad, dating the star player of the basketball team, and the all-knowing gossip queen.

My perfect boyfriend, Vince LaSalle, is not only the star basketball player, as a sophomore himself, but the greatest guy ever. He listens to me and my gossip about his old group of friends, and all of our friends nowadays. He gets me drinks when we are at parties and is ultimately whipped by me. He is totally wrapped around my little finger. And if that doesn't make a great boyfriend, I don't know what does.

The cheerleading squad consists of the Ashley's (including me, obviously), a couple of juniors, and two seniors. I, as only a sophomore and only my second year of being on the squad was chosen to be captain. I know when the juniors and seniors look at me, they are very disgusted. How could it be possible that I already have the captain spot taken?

The Ashley's are the greatest friends ever. We can share gossip, make-up, and tampons together. We have always been there for each other, while still comparing money, cars, and accessories. A healthy competition is expectant in friendships however, and the way I won the reign of the Ashley's was because I was the richest.

It's really funny how, as only being a sophomore, the school looks up to me. All the older guys look at me with desire, but since I have a great boyfriend, I don't even give them a second glance. I can walk into class twenty minutes late, and the teachers don't care, they look at me like I'm some kind of goddess just by the cheers I am able to lead on Friday and Saturday nights.

I know that I, Ashley Armbruster, absolutely, without a doubt control the entire school, popular and non popular alike. I keep a tight reign, letting nobody escape harsh scrutiny and endless teasing. I do not allow anybody to become too popular. I rule the school.

---

I make the winning basket, the crowd cheers for me. I'm on top of the world. I walk down the hallway with a slight swagger in my step and people congratulate me wherever I go. They tell me that I'm the best basketball player this school has ever seen. Which, I can't deny, because I know that I am. I act up in class, and the teachers don't say anything because I'm their favorite student. All because I can play basketball.

Basketball has always been my life passion, and now that it comes with basketball buddies, a hot girlfriend, and getting away with anything in school, I have become even more obsessed with it. My basketball buddies consist of my old childhood rival, Lawson, and a couple of other starters. We get into lots of mischief and like to pull pranks on people. There is nothing as funny as watching Gus Griswald open his locker to have a snake jump out at him.

My girlfriend, Ashley A., is the hottest girl in the entire school. And the most dutiful girlfriend a guy could want. She stays on my arm at parties, praising me and telling me that I'm the best ever. She comes naturally this way, while my best bud, Lawson, is having problems training his girlfriend, she doesn't like to shower him with compliments. Ashley's also already been trained to be submissive and do what I would like to do, go to the parties I want to, and just basically let me have it my way. I definitely have that girl wrapped around my little finger.

When I get called into the principal's office, it's the best feeling of my life. Menlo used to give me a look like I was going to get in deep trouble, but the second I stepped into the principal's office, we would start joking around about last week's game. And then he would give me a very weak warning, and a wink before sending me off about my day. I got away with everything.

The only people who did not seem to be totally enamored with me were my old friends. When I walk down the hallway they look at me with contempt in their faces. I used to feel bad for those faces they would send me, but I later came to realize they were probably just jealous.

I know that I, Vince LaSalle, control this school in a way that is almost laughable. I'm only a sophomore, yet I can break someone's reputation, make a winning shot, and go to the best parties all in one night. People can barely move in our high school without my permission. Walk down my hallway without my permission? You are sure as heck going to get teased mercilessly, or, in certain cases, mobbed. The greatest part about this is that I've still got two years to completely control this school.

I totally rule this school.

--

I look at the silly sophomores who think they have control of this school. Vince LaSalle thinks that just because he can make a basket or two he will be the most popular boy in the school for his entire high school career. And Ashley Armbruster thinks just because she beat out some real cheerleaders for the spot of captain and the fact that she is dating Vince LaSalle that she will be queen of this school.

I am a senior. I used to have those same fantasies that I would be in control of the school forever. I mean, heck, I was King Bob when I was in grade school, why couldn't that carry over into high school? I was the best basketball player on the team until Vince LaSalle showed up. So, if he thinks he's going to be the ruler of this school forever, wait until some stupid freshman comes and takes his spot and then a year later he swaggers around like nobody can do anything without his permission.

I might sound a little bitter, but I'm really not. Because I know that when I watch as Vince LaSalle makes the winning shot, or as Ashley A. walks down the hallway, that they are fleeting competition. See, people see me as an icon. They look up to my leadership and guidance in a way that Vince and Ashley will never get. I am the ultimate in popularity, anybody that comes after me is set up to a standard of me.

They get to attend the best parties in the school, but I throw, heck, I am the life of these parties. Without me there, these parties would not be the cool ones. Jordan and Jerome will testify for that. They get to declare their own hallways, and if anybody walks down their hallways without their permission, they have the right to do whatever it is they do to them. But, I own all the hallways, I pretty much gave them the right to claim their own hallways. If I see somebody I don't like down any hallway, I have the right to harass them. And I don't get in trouble for it either, because I am inadvertently in control of the school.

So, while Vince LaSalle and Ashley A. seem to be in control of the school right now, they don't see what I see. They don't see the future, the future where I maintain my status as the absolute best at everything. Despite Vince's sudden stardom in the basketball team, I am still going to a good college to play basketball, where I won't be overshadowed by Vince, and maybe in the future the two of us can actually compete on a college floor.

So, King Vince and Queen Ashley are about to learn a very valuable lesson that will last them for the rest of their lives. And that lesson, of course, is that I, Robert (often referred to as Bob), rule this school.


	2. King Bob Starts a Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of its characters.

Chapter Two

King Bob Starts a Plan

Bob

Jordan, Jerome, and I were playing basketball on the court in my driveway when I noticed a very distinctive look passing between them. The two of them had been my bodyguards and my best friends for as long as I could remember. The thought of them keeping a secret from me did not really make me that happy.

"What is going on between you two?" I demanded to know.

"What are you talking about?" Jordan easily asked, as if he did not know what I was talking about. I was the leader, I was supposed to know everything.

"You two are keeping something to yourselves," I accused him, a frown on my face. Jerome sighed before looking at me as if it pained him to say what he was about to say.

"We want you to take back over the school," Jerome frowned.

"I am still in control," I argued. The looks on their faces clearly expressed that they were not entirely ready to believe that. I guess I could not blame them because for all purposes, it looked like Ashley A. and Vince controlled the school, much like I had my sophomore year.

"It is not just us," Jordan assured me, "All of the seniors are worried about the impact that the sophomores are having on our legacy. This year is supposed to be all about us. How does Ashley A. get named head cheerleader? Only because she is the sluttiest and richest. Vince is the captain of the basketball team. People feel as if you are just stepping aside and letting it all happen. You led us in elementary school, you led most of them in elementary school, you have to fight back."

"All the seniors?" I asked. I guess I had never really thought about how much Ashley and Vince's fast rise to stardom had affected everybody else besides me. They were right though, we could not leave things the way they were. Vince and Ashley deserved to learn their lesson. The world did not revolve around them.

"We believe you can do it," Jerome smiled, "In fact, I am sure most of the kids in the school think you can do it. Who are they going to flock to? King Bob or Vince the arrogant? And Ashley has alienated so many people with her behavior over the years ….,"

"There is no doubt that I could win," I frowned at Jerome for even suggesting such a thing, "I think I even have the perfect idea for who can help me."

"Who?" Jerome and Jordan asked me simultaneously. I just gave a delighted grin as I threw the basketball into the air and it went in with a swish.

I was happy that my friends had brought this up with me. Now that I knew that it was necessary to knock the sophomores down a peg, I knew that I could get it done. I had destroyed better reputations than theirs.

TJ

I cringed as I heard Gus's scream of shock once again as he opened his locker to a whole bunch of fake snakes jumping out at him. I could not help but wonder why he had not figured out by now that he should be more careful when opening his locker.

"Idiot," I heard Vince's very familiar laugh as he and Lawson walked by, shooting a smirk my way. In the three years since Vince and I had ended our friendship, I came to regret being his friend more and more every day.

Every trick or every juvenile thing I had ever taught him, he had used against his formers friends. Mainly, it was against Gus, Mikey, or Gretchen because they were the only three who would fall for it. Spinelli had known me too long to fall for easy tricks, and was also the most cynical and did not trust anybody enough for the big ones. And I, well, I had been the prank expert since elementary school, so there was really no point in trying to one up me.

"What do you think you are doing?" I suddenly heard. I looked down the hall to see Lawson pushing Gus up against his locker and Vince watching with a smirk on his face. I sighed as I began to make my way down to them.

"Oh, here comes TJ to the rescue," Vince sarcastically said as he saw me coming closer, "Always have to be in charge don't you?"

I chose not to say anything and quickly wrenched Gus away from Lawson. I could see Gretchen and Mikey making their way down the hallway, but a single shake of my head had them going in the opposite direction. I could not rescue all three of them at the same time, and I did not want to have to try without Spinelli around.

"Gus here, he owes me some money," Lawson coldly told me.

"If it is because of the money you used to buy those snakes, he will not be paying up," I responded. I had long since gotten over my hatred of people not liking me. I guess it was the fact that my former best friend had basically decided to sacrifice all of us to join the Ashleys and Lawson that had solidified that change in me. If someone who claimed to be my friend could end up treating me like that, what did it matter if people liked you?

"Oh yes, he will," Vince stepped closer. I knew that if it was a fight Lawson and Vince were going to pick, Gus and I stood no chance of winning.

"Just leave them alone," an authoritative tone spoke up. We all looked down the hallway a few steps to see Bob standing there with Jordan and Jerome. Vince frowned at them, but he and Lawson slunk down the hallway. I guess he realized that a fight now would only leave him and Lawson brutalized.

"Thanks," I offered a smile to the guy who had once been known as King Bob.

"I did not do it for you," he dismissed, "we need to talk."

Bob

I could tell that TJ was confused about why I wanted to talk to him. We had not really had any interaction since our playground days. However, I knew that it would not take him long to figure it out, because the one thing that both of us had in common was a hatred for his former best friend, Vince LaSalle. TJ was the most gifted prankster and I would even go so far as to say manipulator that I had met in my entire life. I knew that of anybody, he and his friends would be the most helpful.

Vince always joked in basketball practice how TJ and the others had clung to each other since elementary school, and he was glad that he had gotten out from under TJ's thumb. I had never really imagined TJ as a dictator, but it was clear he was their leader, much like I was to Jordan and Jerome.

TJ and his group of friends agreed to meet me and my friends at a pizza place on the other side of town after school. I had wanted a place were no one could see us, and TJ had reluctantly agreed.

"What do you want Bob?" Ashley Spinelli sneered as she sat down across the table from us. TJ scooted in next to her while Gretchen, Gus, and Mikey all sat down at the table right next to ours. TJ glared at her.

"Spinelli!" he exclaimed, "I told you to let me do all the talking."

"It's okay," I smiled, "I will go straight to the point. My colleagues and I have decided that your friends Ashley A. and Vince need to be taken down a few notches."

"I deduce that you would like to ruin their popularity to gain back the rights which you feel have so wrongly been taken from you," Gretchen replied. TJ rolled his eyes at her before looking at me.

"Why would we help you?" TJ asked.

"Because of how much Vince and Ashley A. humiliate all of you. But, mostly, because you all still feel the sting of betrayal left by Vince," I retorted. The looks on their faces showed that I had hit it right on the money. It looked like it might be easier to get their cooperation than I originally thought.

"Why us?" Gus piped up.

"You all have the passion to follow through, TJ is practically a genius when it comes to pranks and ideas, Gretchen is a literal genius, and Spinelli has the guts to pull it off," I listed off only a few of the reasons.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" TJ asked, a slight trace of smile entering his face.

"Of course, I would love your input, but I already have a couple ideas," and as I started talking about my ideas, I knew that TJ had already begun to form one in his mind. Ashley A. and Vince LaSalle were never going to know what hit them.


	3. What Do They Care About Most?

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of its characters.

Chapter Three

What Do They Care About Most?

Bob

I knew I had made the right decision when TJ had simply stated that the only reason to get back what I wanted was to crush Vince and Ashley by taking away what was most important to them. For Vince, it was his basketball. For Ashley, it was her popularity. Short of physically hurting Vince to take away his basketball career (which I had not completely ruled out yet), I had been unable to come up with anything. However, TJ had the perfect plan for Ashley A.

It would all revolve around the upcoming history project. I had managed to put off my American History class until my senior year, so now I was in it with all the sophomores. Every year, the teacher, Mr. Hall, would select groups of four and each group would have to make a massive presentation on some war that America had been in. Normally, Mr. Hall would make a computer randomly generated list by taking the class roster and putting it in there.

TJ had assured me that Gretchen would easily be able to hack into the computer and change a few things around. While this seemed like a relatively cliché scheme, the good news was that for the part where I would have to lure Ashley A. from Vince would be relatively easy. If I could say so myself, I am a very charming individual.

Besides, once the other two kids in her group were Mikey and Gus, she would be so annoyed that she would be guaranteed to spend most of her time with me. And, she would also know that there was no way that the rest of her group would be doing her homework like every other group project she had been involved in. Normally, their hero worship of her made it very easy to crush them into submission. However, this particular group held no sort of hero worship for her.

Gretchen had also arranged it where TJ and Spinelli would be in a group with Vince, just for pure annoyances sake. Which, if I could not beat him yet, I would want to make him as uncomfortable as I could. This was, also, another group were Vince could get away with not doing any of the work. Also, Vince could not beat up TJ or Spinelli like he could Mikey or Gus to get them to do what he wanted.

And once I had gotten Ashley to dump Vince for me, the only thing left was public humiliation. The most usual form, and the most employeed by Vince before he started dating Ashley was to sleep with them and then dump them in front of all their friends. While I was not exactly sure how I was going to stomach sleeping with Ashley A., I knew that it was for the greater good. I would do anything to get back up at the top of chain. It would be better for everybody when that happened.

Ashley A.

American History was easily my hardest subject. First of all, Mr. Hall was the one teacher in the entire school who did not go along with the concept that the jocks and cheerleaders did not have to work for their grades, and second, the only friend I had in the class was Vince LaSalle. And while my boyfriend was great, he would not sit there and gossip with me during class like the other Ashley's would.

And then, there was the issue of our group project. As our names had been read off, I was disgusted to hear my name read alongside the losers, Mikey and Gus, and the formerly great, Bob. I mean, gross, he was a senior taking a sophomores class. Like, really, was he just so stupid that he had to wait two years before taking it himself? The only thing that made it slightly better was when I caught the look on Vince's face when he was paired in a group with TJ, Spinelli, and some other thug that went by the name of Bones.

"Um .. Mr. Hall," I stuck my perfectly manicured hand up in the air to get his attention, "I think I need a group switch."

"Ms. Armbruster, I assume that you know the rules as well as anyone else," Mr. Hall impatiently said, "You did get a class syllabus after all, and based on the hope that you are capable of reading, you know that you are unable to switch groups."

"But, my group is so … gross," I disgustedly said.

"And you are a whore," Spinelli retorted, in obvious defense of her friends. I could hear snickers of agreement across the classroom. I gave a sweeping glare.

"Ms. Armbruster, Ms. Spinelli, we do not talk about our fellow classmates in such a fashion, you are both assigned detention," Mr. Hall smoothly said, "Now, I suggest you get in your groups and begin to discuss what exactly you are doing."

"That is so unfair," I said aloud as I moved my desk to face Bob's while Mikey and Gus joined us, "I do not deserve detention. She is the one who called me a whore."

I looked at my fellow team members, and the looks on their face said I was not going to get any sympathy out of them. I decided I would settle on a disgusted look as I let them decide exactly what was going to happen.

"We could start by doing research in the library after school," Gus suggested.

"I have basketball practice," Bob reminded us, "Ashley has detention."

"Why don't Mikey and I do research for a while, and then you two can come to the library when you are done and relieve us?" Gus suggested. Before I knew it, Bob was agreeing to the plan.

I started to voice my protest, but then I thought a saw a smile pass between Gus and Bob. I did not know what was going on, but I did know I would rather be seen with Bob than either Gus or Mikey.

Vince

I entered the library at five o'clock to see my girlfriend and Bob sitting a table, both reading from books and taking notes. Surprisingly, I just laughed at the image. I don't think I had ever seen Ashley open a book before.

"You ready to get this over with?" Spinelli demanded to know as she walked through the doorway. Our group had come up with much the same plan as my girlfriend's group, which means that I was stuck with my old friend, Ashley Spinelli.

"Let's sit with them," I instructed, taking a seat next to my girlfriend and dropping an arm around her. Spinelli rolled her eyes as she sat down by Bob.

"I am trying to work here," Bob said, an annoying tone in his voice. He had seemed even more agitated at basketball practice today than normal. And now he was talking to me like I was unpopular or something.

"So are we," I icily said.

"If you even know how to read a book, I would be impressed," Bob retorted.

"Listen, schoolgirls," Spinelli interrupted, "I hate to break up this cat fight before it even starts, but I am sure we all want to go home as soon as possible. Vince, why don't we just move over to that table?"

She was pointing at the table right next to the one we were currently sitting at.

"That way, you can watch your girlfriend be a slut," Spinelli cheerfully said. I glared at her, but followed her to the table anyways. She was right about one thing, I did want to get home.

Bob whispered something to Ashley, causing her to take a look at Spinelli and give a long, hard laugh. I knew it was for the benefit of Spinelli knowing she was laughing at her, but the thought of her laughing with Bob made me kind of nervous. Normally, we tried to steer away from him. He seemed to be bad news waiting to happen.

"How can you stand to be with someone like that?" Spinelli asked, disgust evident in her voice, but, I noticed, she seemed unphased by Ashley's obvious mockery.

"She's hot," I flippantly said, as I began to flip through my notebook.

"So, do you know how to begin this research?" I asked. I had just realized that it had been so long since I had actually had to do my own homework, I was not sure exactly what to do.

"Hell,I cannot even tell you which war we are presenting about," Spinelli frowned, ruffling through her notebook.

I let out a genuine laugh and she looked up and grinned, what seemed like a real grin, before saying, "The American Revolution, TJ left me a list of books to look up."

As the two of us left to go find the books, I looked back to notice Bob staring at my girlfriend in a way I did not like. I was going to have to put a stop to that soon.


	4. The Trust Issues

Chapter Four

The Trust Issues

Bob

The first day had started off decently well. I had managed to make Vince angry by showing interest in his slut of a girlfriend, along with make Ashley Armbruster feel as if I could be her confidant in our "gross" group as she called it. I was a little surprised that so far TJ's plan had gone off without a hitch. He had even assured me that he was well on his way to planning Vince's destruction as well. Surprisingly, it had something to do with the American History project that was supposed to be Ashley's downfall too.

The part I was most surprised about was how flawlessly Spinelli was able to separate Vince and Ashley. She had maintained her aura of annoyance and had proven to be a far greater actress than I thought she would be. TJ had been pleasantly surprised, and decided to use that to our advantage. Besides, we both agreed that Vince would probably much rather spend time with Spinelli than with himself, considering the severity of their fall-out. And Bones could easily beat up Vince without much of a fight, so Vince would not want to be left alone with him without some sort of back-up. Vince hardly went anywhere without some sort of back-up.

I, however, could not say much either because of my reliance on Jordan and Jerome. Jordan and Jerome seemed pleased with my report to them as they came over to shoot hoops that night like normal.

"Well, as long as this keeps up, we should have our school back," Jordan said, satisfied, "but, are you sure that you can make Ashley fall for you?"

"Why shouldn't I be able to?" I harshly asked, "She fell for the idiot Vince, did she not?"

"We have faith," Jerome explained hastily, "But, there are lots of things that could go wrong with this plan."

"You do not get any rewards unless you take risks," I firmly said. I realized, that in the back of my mind, Jordan and Jerome were starting to get on my nerves. It was like they had no faith in me whatsoever. They had demanded a plan and now that one was in action they were trying to make me feel incompetent by trying to dismantle it.

"TJ and the others might not be able to be trusted," Jordan added, "After all, they were friends with LaSalle for a long time."

"**That** is something you do not have to worry about," I assured them. I knew that I had already explained this to them, and yet they did not seem to understand still. I was beginning to worry that my two best friends were bigger idiots than I always thought, "TJ hates his old friend much more than we could ever hope to."

They smiled at this and the three of us went back to shooting hoops as if none of the conversation had actually happened.

TJ

I had decided that the best way to bring Vince down was to have him suspended from school. Mr. Hall's class was the only class that we actually stood a chance of having that happen in. All of the other teachers worshiped the sports teams too much for that to actually work with them. Plus, it was perfect if Vince was already stuck in a group with Spinelli and myself, it would be easier to frame him for cheating.

This was going to be a much more delicate process, however, than just having Bob seduce Ashley. If Spinelli and I were caught planting this evidence, Mr. Hall would not hesitate to suspend or even have us expelled. It was, short of Bob's idea to attack Vince (which could land us in even more trouble), the best plan I had come up with.

"Do we really want to trust Bob?" Spinelli had asked me earlier that day when we had been discussing it. I had just told her about my idea, and she had agreed to go along with it.

"It was his idea to bring Vince and Ashley down," I reminded her, even though I was not too sure of my own answer.

"That does not mean anything," she retaliated, "Popular people stick together."

"But ever since Vince and Ashley, Bob has not been as popular," I reminded her, "I think even Jordan and Jerome are starting to feel like maybe he will not come back from this."

"Well, I still think that we need to think on it for a couple more days," Spinelli cautiously reminded me, "Maybe we need to act like we are not sure about this yet either."

"Okay," I readily agreed. While I was almost completely sure I could trust Bob, if he decided to turn against us now, everything that we had worked on to accomplish would go down the drain.

I had long since wanted to get revenge on Vince for abandoning the group the way he had. And even more than that, the way he always seemed to torture the less fortunate of our group. It was like we were the ones who had done something to him, not the other way around. I could not stand for it anymore. The fact that I had let it go on this long was beyond me.

"Are you going to tell the others?" Spinelli asked me. I knew the reason she was asking was because it was going to get our hands dirtier than anybody else in the group wanted them.

Sure, Gretchen had broken into the computer system, but she had all but guaranteed there was no way she would get caught. This was not as full proof. They would never agree to put their futures in danger for something that seemed so trivial. To me, however, it was not trivial because the only way to get Vince to leave us alone was to make him a lesser version of himself.

"No," I solidly told her, "Not yet."

Ashley Spinelli

Vince and I set across from each other for the third day in a row. This time, however, we had decided not to meet at the library and had actually gone out for pizza. Not anywhere were people would actually see someone like him talking to someone like me. Both of us had our reputations at stake, after all. In fact, we went to the same one that TJ, the others, and myself had met Bob at.

I had smiled as we passed the booth that we had been sitting in. It helped give me the strength to make sure that I stayed on top of the mission.

"TJ is such a jerk," Vince let escape from his mouth. I knew he had not really thought about it before saying it, because when he looked at me, I could see the fear in his voice.

As far as he knew, we had just gotten along relatively well so far during this project. He never had to see TJ, which was what he wanted, but he did not seem to mind me so much. I guess I did not do a good enough job of reminding him of what his childhood had been like. I, of course, was just doing it for the revenge, the pain he had caused TJ alone was enough to make me want to have vengeance.

We had, of course, been talking about our assignment. I had been going over how TJ had given me very explicit instructions on what to do, and of course, Vince thought TJ was trying to just take over. At his words, I allowed my mouth to turn into a slight frown, but did not say anything else regarding the situation.

"Sorry," Vince finally muttered.

"I don't understand why you hate him so much," I rolled my eyes. That much was at least not an act, I really did not understand at all.

"You wouldn't," Vince shot back.

"Anyways," I put back on a fake smile, "Why don't we just get back to work? We have a lot to accomplish. And if you think TJ is bossy now, wait and see what happens if you do not do what he wants."

That much was at least true. TJ would be very angry if we did not do exactly what was laid ahead for us. Vince looked at me, and I could tell that whatever was going through his mind would not bode well for me if he decided to ask questions. He was probably trying to figure out if he could trust me.

Trust was a hard thing to determine. The conversation I had earlier in the day with TJ had shown me that I had very little trust in people. I was also assuming, that if I did not trust Bob, then either him or his lackeys did not trust us. Our brief union relied on mutual trust, and getting Ashley and Vince to trust in us as well. Trust was either going to make or break this plan.


	5. Flirting Lessons

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of the characters.

Author's Note: I have been terrible about updating all of my stories, but I am trying to get better!

Chapter Five

Flirting Lessons

Ashley A.

"I say orange, you say black," I yelled with my fellow cheerleaders at the crowd, "Orange!"

"Black!" the crowd yelled back. We were at one of the school's basketball games. And, of course, our boys were winning. The cheer continued on while I went to look at Vince, who had been on the floor for most of the night.

Instead, I caught Bob's eye and he winked at me. Bob had been acting very flirtatious every since we started this project. It was not that I was not flattered by the attention (but, let's face it, I am used to attention), but that was just wrong. He was a senior who had no control over what the sophomores did. How pathetic can you get?

Besides, as tonight's game was clearly demonstrating, Vince was a much better athlete. And shouldn't the best cheerleader be with the best athlete? If Bob wanted to date one of the other Ashley's, I would definitely give him the go ahead, dating a senior could be big for them, but I already had the best man on campus. It would just be one more way I could gloat about how I was better than them.

Not, of course, that I would not return these flirtations from time to time. Who knows? Maybe someday Bob will gain back some of his athletic prowess and I will need to find a new man to make mine. Bob could fit the bill in several categories. He was a very handsome boy, and in some ways I got the sense that he was smarter than Vince. Not that I really thought that it took much effort.

I had to keep Vince on his toes as well. I did not want him to get used to the idea of me just staying on his arm. It is actually okay to make someone jealous sometimes, especially since it helps keep them in line.

I began to cheer loudly as Vince scored another basket. I blew him a kiss and then noticed Bob glaring at the two of us. Could he really be jealous? I guess having the attention of the two best looking basketball players could not be all that bad.

00000

_"My fingernails look gross," _ I decided while I was waiting for Vince to get out of the shower after the game. I do not know why they never gave Vince the shower first. He did carry the team after all, he should be treated as a king to them.

"What a pleasant surprise," a voice spoke up directly in front of me. I looked up to see Bob and I gave him a dazzling smile.

"Do you know when my boyfriend Vince will be joining me?" I asked, carefully reminding him.

"If he really cared, he already would have joined you," Bob gave a laugh as he walked right by me, "Have a good night Ashley. I will see you Monday in History."

99999

Bob

So, I knew I was getting a little bold in my flirting with Ashley, but really, it was just fun. After all, when this was over, I would have my throne back. The thought of actually sleeping with Ashley was still revolting, but it was well worth my final product. Besides, it made her uncomfortable in a way that I never thought an Ashley could be.

I liked seeing her uncomfortable. It was actually kind of … I guess, endearing. Not that there was anything actually to think endearing about her. I think I just liked the fact that I was that much in control of the situation. I walked out of the gym and saw TJ and Spinelli leaning against a wall. TJ gave me a slight head nod, which I returned before walking over to Jordan and Jerome.

"What's going on?" I asked as I approached them. They both gave me a grin.

"Good game," Jordan high-fived me, "So, there is this party that everybody is going to."

"And?" I asked.

"Ashley will be there," Jerome laughed, "You can flirt some more."

"That is not a bad idea," I smiled at them, forming in my mind what I was going to say to her when I saw her.

000000

I had no idea whose house we were going to, but Jordan and Jerome assured me that it was the place to be tonight. So, I was very surprised when I walked in the door and saw TJ and Gretchen casually talking by the snack table.

"Are you sure that they will be here?" I hissed at Jordan when I turned around. He looked over at Gretchen and TJ and shrugged.

"We just heard this was the place to be tonight," Jordan answered. He and Jerome made there way to the kitchen to go grab beers while I casually made my way to the refreshment table.

"What is going on?" I asked casually as I grabbed a few things to eat.

"You do know that this house is Mikey's, right?" TJ asked, giving a little laugh, "It is so easy to get people to go anywhere they are promised alcohol and a good time."

I gave him another quick nod before heading towards the direction that I hoped Ashley and Vince would be in.

0000

"Wait … this is Mikey's house?" I could hear Ashley's disgusted voice fill the room as she turned and talked to Vince. He nodded at her, looking around again. I guess I should have realized that Vince would probably know this house. He and Mikey had been friends after all. I approached the two of them, well aware that many pairs of eyes were on me in the room.

"Good game Vince," I swallowed my pride, thinking about the big picture, "But, of course, with someone like Ashley cheering for you, it is kind of hard not to play well, isn't it?"

00000

Vince

"Are you trying to hit on my girl?" I growled at him before I could stop myself. I knew Bob was only trying to bait me. It was pathetic really, but yet I was still drawn in.

"Not at all," he gave off an airy laugh, "After all, I am sure half the school has been with her. STD's are not my thing."

"Okay, that's enough," I started, but then Ashley stepped between us. I looked at her in surprise because normally she would want me to defend her.

"Let's just go somewhere else," she sighed. She led me out of the room into the kitchen.

0000

I walked back towards the front room a little later with a drink for Ashley and myself when I noticed that she was once again talking to Bob. I did not understand why she did not get rid of him already. He was just a nuisance.

I turned around to walk back to the kitchen when I ran into somebody.

"Watch it!" Spinelli's harsh voice resounded. She then looked up at me and gave a slight sneer, "It's just you. Where is your attachment?"

I gave a slight gesture to the front room and she looked over at my should to Ashley and Bob talking, and laughing. She then gave a snicker as she looked back at me.

"If somebody was hitting on my girlfriend, I would do something about it," she wisely informed me.

"So, that is what you are into?" I slyly asked her.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she snorted at me. I grinned back at her.

"And devastate all those boys in the world who were hoping to get their chance with the great Spinelli?" I teased her.

"People in prison do not count," she informed me.

I just gave her another smile.

"What?" she irritatedly asked me.

"You just have always had the ability to do that," I shook my head at her.

"Attract prisoners?" she guessed.

"Make me feel better about whatever is going on," I replied. She gave me a startled look. Heck, I did not blame her. I was not sure what had even made me say it.

"Hey Spin …," I heard my former's best friend voice before I saw him. And he had clearly been speaking before he had seen me. When he saw the two of us, he froze in his tracks.

"Hey TJ," Spinelli mumbled.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" TJ asked her, with a sigh, "We can come back later to help Mikey clean up."

"Yeah," she nodded. She then turned to me, "Bye Vince."

As the two of them walked away, I began to wonder if they were a couple. Everybody had always expected them to become one, and yet I had never heard anything. But, why should I care? I glanced at my girlfriend, still laughing with Bob, and I realized that something strange was happening. And were strange things are happening, TJ is normally involved.


	6. I Smell

Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of the characters.

Author's Note: Here is chapter six! I am actually almost done with chapter seven as well.

Chapter Six

I Smell …

Bob

I smell a rat. A big freaking stinky rat who better watch their step. Something has gone amiss in our plans. Vince actually approached me the other day. Approached me as if he had the right to do such a thing! I was still frowning now, just thinking about it.

_The Day Before_

_ "We need to talk," Vince snarled at me as he approached my locker. I looked at my lackeys, who just gave me slightly blank stares. I shrugged my shoulders at Jordan and Jerome before following Vince to a more secluded area of the school. I was very irritated, but also quite interested to hear what he had to say._

_ "What do you want?" I finally asked him._

_ "Why the hell have you been hanging out with TJ?" Vince immediately got to the point. I began laughing almost immediately._

_ "What makes you say that?" I raised an eyebrow at him._

_ "I have been hearing stuff," Vince said. I could practically hear his teeth grinding as he looked at me._

_ "You were the one who used to be friends with him," I reminded Vince, "I barely know the kid."_

_ "I used to be friends with him," Vince coldly said, "Which is why you might decide to be friends with him."_

_ "You think highly of yourself if you think I will associate with that just because they hate you," I swiftly replied, "There are plenty of popular people I can use for that."_

_ "I do not trust you," Vince plainly said, "But, for some reason, Ashley likes hanging out with you right now. You just better watch your back and not try anything."  
_

_"Like I am scared of you," I laughed at Vince before walking away._

_0000_

So, it seemed that Jordan and Jerome were probably right about someone betraying us. It was still hard to believe that it would be TJ, but I am not sure who else it could have been. One of his friends seemed most likely. Maybe Spinelli, she had really been seeming awfully chummy with Vince lately. She may act like it was part of her job, but maybe it really wasn't an act.

I was not sure yet how to approach TJ about it. I definitely did not want it to look like I was accusing them, but in reality it was very much what I wanted to do. If one of his friends was going to try and ruin our plans, then we needed to stop them immediately. I had already invested too much energy into the plan for it to fail now.

It had been two weeks since the party at Mikey's house, and Ashley had only been flirting with me more and more. If I could keep this up, I knew that I would be able to break the perfect couple of the school. Nobody better be getting in my way.

0000

TJ

I smell a chicken. Bob was nervous when he had come up to me earlier and said that he needed to talk to me. I know I should have never trusted him to have the guts to go through with it. He was definitely too chicken for it.

Of course, Spinelli had tried to tell me from the beginning, but I did not listen to her. If Bob backed out now, everything I had been working for would not amount to anything. I knew that I could not handle that. I needed this. It was something that had to happen. Vince had been treating us like crap since he left the group, and somebody had to do something about it.

So, with a sigh, I walked into the pizza place to meet Bob, alone. Apparently he did not want anyone else around for his betrayal.

"So, what is it?" I asked as I plopped down in a chair. He narrowed his eyes at me, which I of course answered with my own dagger eyes.

"Somebody has told Vince of our plan," were pretty much the last words I expected to hear from Bob's mouth. I kind of gave a little laugh.

"And what makes you say that?" I shot back.

"He cornered me a couple of days ago and told me that he knew I was planning something," Bob sneered, "Someone has been talking, and well, you and your friends used to be his friends."

"So, you are accusing me?" I asked coldly.

"Not you specifically," he retracted, "but maybe somebody in your group."

"That is ridiculous!" I snapped, "It could be one of your friends. Ever thought about that? The whole no brains, all brawn thing can be kind of misleading."

"Why would Jordan and Jerome do that?" his voice was filled with distaste, "Spinelli has been awfully friendly to Vince lately."

"As part of the act," I laughed, "that would be like saying you and Ashley are getting too friendly. Besides, I think you are missing a key point in all of this."

"And?" he asked.

"Vince is a lot smarter than you give him credit for," I had to choke out the words. Complimenting him was not high on my list of things to do.

"Please," he scoffed.

"Just think of it this way," I calmly said, "Vince has spent years with me, knowing exactly what I do. He is smart enough to figure this out."

"You better hope that is all it is," Bob haughtily said before getting up and leaving.

Yup, I definitely smell a chicken. So, Vince may be aware that we are plotting against him, but that does not mean anything at all. As long as no one reveals any of our plans, I am pretty sure that nothing can go wrong. I am also fairly certain that if anybody is doing the betraying, it has to be Bob or one of his goons. No way would one of my friends do that to me. I am sure of it.

Ashley A.

I smell a snake. So, Bob had been flirting with me for so long that I had just really gotten used to. And then what does he go and do? Flirts with that stupid Ashley Q. I mean, okay, so she has big boobs (thanks to a surgery I am sure), but she is nowhere as pretty as I am. Plus, if he really wanted to win me over, this was not the way to do it.

I tried to tell myself he was doing me a favor. Vince has been getting awfully suspicious of my every move lately. It is like he does not want me to leave his sight. And it is not like I say anything about him spending most of his down time with Ashley Spinelli. Eww, gross. Girl seriously requires a makeover to sit in the same room as I do.

Anyways, back to Bob. So, I do not know what he was trying to pull, but I was not going to make it easy for him. Despite the reputation that I had somehow garnered (so I like guys being me things, and so what if one of the ways that you guarantee that is by doing things other people consider slutty?), I really did not have any plans of cheating on Vince.

Except, how cool would it be to be dating a college guy next year? Sure, he would still not be that good at basketball, but he would be in college. Then I would not have to worry about anybody dethroning Vince. I would already have the next level up. However, if he started dating Ashley Q., then she would be the one with the advantage! And there was no way in hell that she would be a better first in command than I was.

"Are you okay?" Ashley Q. decided to approach me at the exact moment.

"So, what is going on between you and Bob?" I coldly asked her. I silently berated myself for not using more tact.

"Just some flirting," Ashley Q. shrugged, "I think he is trying to get me to go out with Jordan. As if I would settle for someone so clearly inferior."

I managed to act cool for the rest of the conversation and just took a deep breath. I was sure that I did not really want to break up with Vince, but with him acting so weird lately, it might have to happen anyways. Besides, Bob was cute and funny. And it was now obvious to me that he had only been flirting with Ashley Q. to make me jealous. Not exactly a good way to go about things, but it was cute nonetheless.

I quickly ended my conversation with Ashley Q. and walked away. I really had a lot of things to consider.


End file.
